[The following is taken in part from Kolor View’s July email newsletter. I modified it where I reference our industry.]
"I stride into a coffee shop one morning, hopeful. Four people are in line, but I decide I can bear that. Unfortunately, nothing is in line behind the counter. A server hands Customer One a large decaf. The customer had asked for a small regular. The other server is flirting with Customer Two. It’s touching and
nostalgic to me, but not entertaining enough to make me overlook the delay. Four minutes later, I get my large latte."
"Twenty years ago, I might have accepted that delay. Twenty years ago, I also accepted rest rooms carpeted with wet paper towels, waiters wearing catsup-stained aprons and chewing Bazooka bubble gum, and ten-day delivery form catalogs."
"Then McDonald’s came along and raised everyone’s standards for rest rooms, better restaurants raised our expectations of waiters, and Federal Express raised our standards for catalog delivery. Those services changed our expectations forever."
"Now we expect cleaner rest rooms, faster service, and more attentive waiters. More people every day have seen Disney World; they know how clean, friendly, and creative service can be."
They have seen world-class service, and now every florist/service has to accept it. Florists, for example, cannot expect their customers to tolerate service, hours, designs that suit the florist. Real Florists (and good florists) have to set a standard that the direct shippers, big box/discount stores and mega markets cannot achieve. Flower customers have been to Disney World and that experience has raised their expectations.
Florists that do not jump to meet consumers’ rising expectations will have a small revolution and a customer exodus on their hands.
Starting about 70 years ago and throughout my teens, my mother taught me that when she said "jump" I was to ask "how far on the way up". Today, consumers are shouting "JUMP" and we better do it NOW.
"I stride into a coffee shop one morning, hopeful. Four people are in line, but I decide I can bear that. Unfortunately, nothing is in line behind the counter. A server hands Customer One a large decaf. The customer had asked for a small regular. The other server is flirting with Customer Two. It’s touching and
nostalgic to me, but not entertaining enough to make me overlook the delay. Four minutes later, I get my large latte."
"Twenty years ago, I might have accepted that delay. Twenty years ago, I also accepted rest rooms carpeted with wet paper towels, waiters wearing catsup-stained aprons and chewing Bazooka bubble gum, and ten-day delivery form catalogs."
"Then McDonald’s came along and raised everyone’s standards for rest rooms, better restaurants raised our expectations of waiters, and Federal Express raised our standards for catalog delivery. Those services changed our expectations forever."
"Now we expect cleaner rest rooms, faster service, and more attentive waiters. More people every day have seen Disney World; they know how clean, friendly, and creative service can be."
They have seen world-class service, and now every florist/service has to accept it. Florists, for example, cannot expect their customers to tolerate service, hours, designs that suit the florist. Real Florists (and good florists) have to set a standard that the direct shippers, big box/discount stores and mega markets cannot achieve. Flower customers have been to Disney World and that experience has raised their expectations.
Florists that do not jump to meet consumers’ rising expectations will have a small revolution and a customer exodus on their hands.
Starting about 70 years ago and throughout my teens, my mother taught me that when she said "jump" I was to ask "how far on the way up". Today, consumers are shouting "JUMP" and we better do it NOW.